Pacific Island volunteers valued

VAW artwork

Volunteer Awareness Week (15-21 June) is an opportunity to acknowledge the valuable contribution of our Pacific volunteers, Pacific Island Affairs Minister Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said.

"Our Pacific people are known for giving to their communities. Volunteers provide a variety of services. You only need to look at the important work of our churches, organisations like PACIFICA and volunteers at events like the Tokelau Easter Tournament to see the spirit of volunteerism in our Pacific communities.

"This week is a great time to celebrate and thank our volunteers for the role they play in our communities, while also encouraging others to get involved," Laban said.

More than one million New Zealanders are actively involved in regular volunteer work in their communities, with a Statistics New Zealand survey carried out in 2004 finding that this equates to 270 million hours of unpaid labour.

"The work of volunteers not only makes an enormous contribution to the wellbeing of our nation, it also contributes significantly to New Zealand's economy," said Laban.

"Our Labour-led government values the many contributions that volunteers make and is serious about supporting the voluntary sector, adopting a formal policy on volunteering in 2002. We have also increased funding to volunteer centres and provided over $17 million to community projects through the Community Partnership Fund, which received a further $6 million in this year's budget.

"Budget 2008 also included $446.5 million to fully fund contracted essential services delivered by community and voluntary organisations for vulnerable families, children and young people. This will give providers the ability to plan ahead, attract and retain qualified staff, improve service effectiveness and achieve good outcomes for our families.

"It’s the Pacific way to look after each other. Our Pacific volunteers make a huge contribution in strengthening our communities that we could not do without.

"Volunteering is a rewarding experience and I encourage people to discover the opportunities available and get involved," Laban said.

Information on volunteering is available from local Volunteer Centers on 0800 865 268 or at www.volunteernow.org.nz.

• More info on Volunteer Awareness week: www.beehive.govt.nz/feature/go+further+-+volunteer